Muskrat Falls inquiry to kick off Monday in Goose Bay

The highly anticipated public inquiry into the controversial Muskrat Falls project will commence with two weeks of hearings in Happy Valley-Goose Bay on Monday, Sept. 17.

Reporters were given a clearer picture of how the probe will unfold during a briefing Tuesday from commissioner Richard LeBlancand inquiry co-counsels Kate O`Brien and Barry Learmonth.

The first phase of the inquiry will focus on the period before Muskrat Falls was officially sanctioned in late 2012. It's expected to conclude in December.

The initialwitnesses will look at the history of cost overruns on major projects, the history of the Churchill River,and the river's links to aboriginal groups in Quebec and Labrador.

Nalcor CEO Stan Marshall will be among the first to testify, whileaccounting firm Grant Thornton is expected to release a forensic and investigative audit of the decision to sanction Muskrat Falls.

Millions of documents

Learmonthsaid the inquiry has received roughly 2.5 million documents from sources such as the provincial government, NalcorEnergyand some big playerslike project managerSNC Lavalin and Astaldi Canada, who has the main construction contract for the project.

"The parties have been very co-ooperatiive in providing us with documents," said Learmonth.

"It's a big undertaking. We would certainly not be able to start the inquiry next week if any of the parties had put up roadblock."

There will be roughly 100 hearing days, with the second phase commencing in February. That phase will focuson the construction phase and lookat why the project is so farover budget and behind schedule.

While transparency is one of the guiding principles of the inquiry,not all the testimony and documentation will be made public, said O`Brien.

"Transparency in thiscase is going to have to be balanced with some of the competing interests, chief among them being commercial sensitivity. The commissioner has been very clear right from the start, he's not going to put anything out there that could hurt the financial position of the province, or do damage to any of the other parties," she said.

Roughly 100 witnesses will provide information to the inquiry, including former PC premiers Danny Williams and Kathy Dunderdale, and former NalcorCEO Ed Martin.

Hearings will continue until next Augustwith a final report, including recommendations, due on Dec. 31, 2019.

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